Method of treating unbound books



June 27, 1939. cl sc METHOD OF TREATING UNBOUND BOOKS 2 Sheets-Sheeb 1 Original Filed Nov. 16, 1937 June 27, 1939. HRAMM 2,163,812

METHOD OF TREATING UNBOUND BOOKS Original Filed Nov. 16, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 51:31:13 MVENTOP J4 m/6 W, i

Patented June 27, 1939 METHOD OF TREATING UNBOUND BOOKS 7 Carl Schramm, North Coventry, Conn., assignor to The Smyth Manufacturing Company, Hartford, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application November 16, 1937, Serial No. 174,766 Renewed May 18, 1939 10 Claims.

This invention relates to a treatment of stitched but unboundbooks preparatory to binding, which may be automatically and continuously carried on. In general it comprises feeding the books with their backs down in succes- .sion from a loading station to one or more stations where they-are jogged up and down so that the folded edges of the signatures will be uniform and the book backs will be flat. The books are then passed to a press in which they are transversely compressed so as to squeeze out confined air, flatten any folds and wrinkles and compact the books to uniform thickness with their backs smooth. Afterbeing pressed the books are carried to a position in which glue is applied to the flatbacks of the solidified books, and then turned flatwise, one way and the following in the opposite way, and carried to a location where they are stacked flatwise in a pileon a rack with the glued backs of the alternate books facing oppositely, that is, with the back of one book projecting on one side and the back of the following book projecting on the other side of the stack. When the required number of books are stacked on the rack the pile is deposited on a 1 conveyor and removed for subsequent binding operations.

The subject of the invention herein set forth being a method of treatment of unbound books, only means that may be utilized for effecting the several steps of the method are illustrated,- mechanisms for connecting and synchronizing the actions of said means for taking the various steps, are not illustrated.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 shows a front elevation of the essential mechanisms and means that may be employed for practicing the method.

Fig. 2 is a top plan View of what is illustrated in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section. of means that may be used for compressing the books.

Fig. .4 is a side View of a book at the gluing station.

Fig. 5 is an end view of a book at the gluing station.

Fig. 6 is a plan view showing a book turned flatwise one way.

Fig. '7 isa section on dotted line 11 on Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a plan View showing a following book turned flatwise in the opposite way.

Fig, 9 is a section on dotted line 9-9 on Fig. 8.

Fig, 10 is a side elevation showing the books stacked on a conveyor with their glued edges offset.

between a pair of press plates ll.

In apparatus designed to execute the treatment, the books I, in succession are thrust onto a trough 2 against a positioning latch 3 with their backs down. Means such as fingers 4 contact an edge of the book and feed it along the trough onto means which will joggle the signatures up and down so that they will settle and the back of the book will be fiat. The joggling means may be a plate 5 lifted and dropped by cam actuated levers 6 or by transversely extending eccentricdo or flattened rapidly rotatable rolls as desired. To ensure the flatness of the back the book may then be fed by fingers 1 to a second joggling position 8, Fig. 1.

From the joggling location the book is pushed 15 by means, such as fingers9, onto a platform it The platform is raised by suitablemmec-hanism, cam operated levers l2, Fig; 1, being illustrated, so as to lift the book until the press plates will cover thee. entire surfaces of the sides of the book, and then the press plates are closed by powerful means, which may be toggles I3, Figs. 2, 3, or hydraulic, or pneumatic mechanism, so as to subject the book to a heavy squeeze. platform, box in the book and prevent any bulging of the flat back as the book is subjected to pres- .sure, Fig, 3.

After pressing the plates are opened and the The press plates and q,

platform with the book lowered, and the pressed;

book is pushed by suitable means, as fingers l4, into jaws i5 carried by a rotatory turret It, Figs. 1, 2. The several feed fingers preferably engage the books near their backs, and are connected and actuated so as to be moved in, forward, outward and back coincidently for advancing the books from. station to station.

The turret shown has four radially extending arms I! spaced 90 apart, and each arm carries a pair of jaws I5 designed to be opened and. .closed by appropriate mechanism, Fig. 2. turret is mounted in a pillar l 8 so it can be inter- The The gripping jaws are opened, and the turret,

can

carrying the book with its back glued, is raised and rotated 90. At this time the book carrying jaws are rotated 90 transversely of the axis of the turret by means engaged with notched disks 23 that are mounted on the arms near the center of the turret, Figs. 1 and 2, so as to turn the book from vertical position with its back down to horizontal position with its glued back to one side. There is a set of turning means for each arm, and the sets are so actuated that one pair of book carrying jaws will be turned in one direction and the following pair of book carrying jaws will be turned in the opposite direction.

When in this position the turret jaw which is uppermost is raised by suitable mechanism that is actuated from pinions 24 at the center of the turret, leaving the book lying fiat on the lowermost jaw, Fig. l, the latter jaw preferably having a surface of approximately the size of the book while the former jaw may be much smaller. The lower jaw is movable transversely of the arm by which it is carried, and on its under side it has a lug 25 that, when the upper jaw' is raised, is engaged by a lug 26 on a slide 21. The slide is shifted by suitable mechanism, first one way then the other transversely of the arm so as to move the jaw and book first brought around by an arm a short distance to one side,

Figs. 6 and '7, and move the jaw and book brought around by the following arm a short distance to the other side, Figs. 8 and 9, in order that the successive books bein position tobe removed and stacked with the glued backs staggered.

Gripping jaws 28, Fig. 1, then close against an edge of the book and pull the book from the jaw on which it lies and deposit it on a board 29 that has been fed in from a stack 30 and laidbn a rack 3|, Figs. 1, 2. and 10. An endless chain 32 intermittently advanced by 'means 33 carries a plurality of racks which are in turn brought around and pushed into position to receive the boards and books, and lowered the thickness of a book after each book is laid thereon.

When the stack reaches the predetermined height the board and books aredeposited on an endless chain conveyor 34 and carried away. The rack which has supported the stack is moved out and at this time a following rack has reached position to receive the books which will form the next stack.

The books remain stacked on the conveyor with their glued backs 35 turned oppositely and overlying the front or cut edges 36 of the adjacent books until the glue is set or the books removed for subsequent treatment, Fig. 10.

The invention claimed is:

1. The method of treating unbound books which comprises feeding the books in succession with their backs down, joggling the books for flattening their backs by means acting against their backs, carrying the books to pressing means and compressing them over the entire surface of their sides and at the same time holding the backs from distortion, transferring the compressed books to adhesive applying means and applying adhesive to their flat backs, turning the successive books flatwise in opposite directions and stacking them on a support with the adhesive coated backs of the alternate books positioned oppositely and extending beyond the front edges of the adjacent books, depositing the books thus positioned onto a conveyor and removing them for further treatment.

2. The method of treating unbound books which comprises feeding the books insuccession with their backs down, joggling the books for flattening their backs, carrying the books to pressing means and compressing them over the entire surface of their sides and at the same time holding the backs from distortion, transferring the compressed books to adhesive applying means and applying adhesive to their flat backs, turning the successive books fiatwise in opposite directions and stacking them on a support with the adhesive coated backs of the alternate books positioned oppositely and extending beyond the front edges of the adjacent books, depositing the 'books thus positioned onto a conveyor and removing them for further treatment.

3. The method of treating unbound books which comprises feeding the books in succession with their backs down, joggling the books for flattening their backs by means acting against their backs, compressing the books transversely and at the same time holding the backs from distortion, transferring the compressed books to-adhesive applying means and applying adhesive to their flat backs, turning the successive books flatwise in opposite directions'and stacking them on a support with the adhesive coated backs of the alternate books positioned oppositely and extending beyond the front edges of the adjacent books, depositing the books thus positioned onto a conveyor and removing them for further treatment.

4. The method of treating unbound books which comprises feeding the books in succession with their backs down, joggling the books for flattening their backs, transversely compressing the books and at the same time holding the flattened backs from distortion, applying adhesive to the flat backs of the books, turning the successive books flatwise in opposite directions and stacking them with the adhesive coated backs of the alternate books positioned oppositely and extending beyond the front edges of the adjacent books, and conveying the books thus positioned for further treatment. V

5. The method of treating unbound books which comprises feeding the books in succession with their backs down, joggling the books for? their backs by means acting against their backsg...

compressing the books over the entire surface of their sides and at the same time holding the backs from distortion, applying adhesive to their flat backs, turning the successive books flatwise in opposite directions and stacking themon a support with the adhesive coated backs of the alternate books positioned oppositely andextending beyond the front edges of the adjacent books.

'7. The method of treating unbound books which comprises joggling the books for flattening their backs by means acting against their backs, compressing the books transversely by pressure applied to both sides and at the same time holding the backs from distortion, applying adhesive to the flat backs of the books, turning the successive books flatwise in opposite directions and stacking them on a support with the adhesive coated backs of the alternate bookspositioned oppositely and extending beyond the front edges of the adjacent books.

8. The method of treating unbound books which comprises feeding the books in succession with their backs down to pressing means and compacting them, transferring the compressed books to adhesive applying means and applying adhesive to their backs, turning the successive books fiatwise in opposite directions, and stacking them with the adhesive coated backs of the alternate books positioned oppositely and extending beyond the front edges of the adjacent books.

9. The method of treating unbound books which comprises feeding the books in succession with their backs down to adhesive applying means and applying adhesive to their backs, turning the books flatwise in opposite directions and stacking them on a support with the adhesive coated backs of the alternate books positioned oppositely and extending beyond the front edges of the adjacent books.

10. The method of treating unbound books which comprises feeding the books in succession 

